4 DAYS ADVENTURES
Theme:Mountains, History, Culture, Desert, Wadi Oasis, Coastal
Duration:Â 4 DAYS TOUR
Tour Highlights:Wadi Bani Awf – Nizwa – Wahiba Sands – Turtle Beach – Sur – Wadi Shab.
check out some beautiful places of Oman!
ITINERARY:
DAY 1: NAKHAL FORT-HOT SPRINGS-WADI BANI AWF –JEBEL SHAMS
We will start our journey by leaving Muscat heading west first, passing through the beautiful small city of Barka to our first destination Nakhal Fort, built on a 200 metre high hill and dating from pre-Islamic times. As you would expect, the views from the fort are remarkable, and include an oasis. Inside the fort itself, there’s plenty to see too, including the women’s living room, the majilis, a prison, and several meeting rooms, courtyards and terraces.Afterwards, it will be time for Al Thowarah, the hot springs of Nakhl which is next to a lush green oasis made all the more stunning by the mountain backdrop.
This will be followed by an exciting drive heading into Wadi Bani Awf along one of the most exhilarating mountain roads in Oman, with off-roading and amazing views. When we reach Wadi Bani Awf in the valley, the road will take us past numerous villages on a 90-minute drive. We’ll be stopping en route at BaladSayt, a village that enjoys an outstanding location between the mountains of Ad Dakhiliyah and Al Batinah regions. The magnificence of this village lies in its agricultural terraces and mountainous location, and its rugged mountain roads attract many adventure tourism fans. BaladSayt is a fine example of traditional Omani villages.
Next, we’ll continue our journey up the Jebel Shams Mountain to reach Nizwa in the evening, where we spend the first Night of the tour.
Having gone through this thrilling off-road adventure exploring the fort and feeling the hot springs, we’ll take an early in a traditional Omani restaurant, a real chance to taste national cuisine.
Overnight in Nizwa Hotel.
Day 2: NIZWA – WAHIBA SANDS DESERT
Another spectacular day, this time to the Nizwa Souq, one of the largest in Oman. We’ll get here early, as that’s the best time to get the pick of the deals as the vendors sell their goods from 5am to 10am daily. Choose from fresh fish, meat and vegetables to delightful and unique pottery, jewelry, handicrafts and souvenirs, all sold in authentic market halls the like of which you won’t see in many other places in the world. The Friday cattle market is not to be missed, as it’s a chance to see the locals in their element, selling goats, cattle, sheep and chickens in a circus-style open marketplace.
Next to the souq is the Nizwa Fort, now a museum and a great place to take in the views of this spectacular ancient town and its surrounding mountain range. You’ll be able to explore the fortress, a military stronghold designed to repel the most fiercest of enemies in its day. It features towers, rooms and passages, along which many traps were laid to deter intruders who may have penetrated its defenses. What a great example of architecture from the early Yaruba dynasty this is, a dynasty that was responsible for a range of economic and military achievements during the mid-17th Century.
Having had a relaxing time, we will head off in the late afternoon to our camp in the Wahiba Sands Desert, where it will be time for some adventure in the form of a sand dune drive through the desert in 4x4s. This will be followed by the chance to watch a stunning sunset from atop one of the big sand dunes. To round off our day in the desert, we’ll take dinner at our camp and enjoy a relaxing time around the romantic camp fire.
Overnight stay at desert camp.
DAY 3: WADI BANI KHALID – SUR – RAS AL HADD
After a relaxing slow breakfast in the Desert Camp, it will be a nice drive crossing some sand dunes to Wadi Ban Khalid, which is regarded by many as the biggest and most beautiful of all the Wadis in Oman. What will you choose to do in this wonderful location – swim, sunbathe, or picnic in the scenic Wadi canyons? It’s up to you.
Next we will head to the city of Sur, where the main attractions include old fortresses and the famous Dhow factory where you can watch traditional wooden Dhows being built.
Following a delicious lunch, we will drive south along the beautiful coast to the beachside village of Ras Al Hadd. You’ll have free time to spend exploring the village or relaxing on the beach (or maybe even a bit of both). It’s all in readiness for what surely will be the highlight of the day – our visit to the Turtle Sanctuary at Ras Al Jinz.
Here, you will receive a guided tour of the beach at night under the stars. It’s the best time of day to view Oman’s much treasured sea turtles stumbling onto the beach from the sea to dig holes in the sand and lay their eggs. You might even get lucky and see the amazing experience of baby turtles hatching from the eggs.
At the tour’s end, we will head back to the Ras al Hadd hotel for the night.
DAY 4: WADI SHAB-BIMMA SINKHOLE- QURIYAT- MUSCAT
After our breakfast in the hotel we will drive towards Wadi Shab. This is an enormous canyon gorge lined with beautiful palm trees and spectacular natural views of the power of water coming down from the mountains. After a 45-minute hike through canyon Wadi, we’ll arrive at a series of crystal clear water pools. You are welcome to swim in the warm waters of these connected pools, which will lead you into an opening among the enormous rocks through which you can swim into a crevice cave with its own small waterfall. Marvel at how the sunlight filters in from the outside and turns the water a stunning turquoise blue, while one side of the cave has water tumbling down from the wadi beyond.
Then we will continue towards the white Beach of Fins, which offers up another great opportunity for photos. There will be another stop-off on our journey towards Muscat, an opportunity for you to view the incredible Bimah Sinkhole, a huge crater close to the sea with a small lake at its base. It’s believed to have been created when a meteor hit the Earth.
Next we will proceed to Muscat via Quriyat and check into the hotel of your choice.
Overnight stay at Muscat.